Liverpool hopes of signing La Liga star hits another snag

onJune 12, 2014

Liverpool’s move for Sevilla full back Alberto Moreno appears to have hit another snag as the two clubs have nave failed to reach an agreement over the structure of the payments for the player according to reports in the British press.

While Liverpool fans would have thought that the deal was close to completion after hearing that the terms had been agreed with the player and a fee with the club, it appears that Sevilla have insisted upon the bulk of the fee being paid up front, and the rest of the payments come with more guarantees.

It is not unusual for deals to be structured in this way. Often the headline figure of a deal, for instance Gareth Bale’s £86 million transfer to Real Madrid, will not be what is paid immediately. Tottenham will likely have received only half of that figure so far, with the rest dependent on things like appearances, bonuses and assists etc.

It is also the reason why some players are often dropped from a team, to avoid paying expensive add on fees when the financial situation at a club changes; Alan Hutton and Darren Bent are two good examples of this at Aston Villa, although it could also be to do with appearance fees and other bonuses contained in their contracts.

Liverpool may have offered a certain percentage of Moreno’s fee to be paid after he makes 50 appearances for the club, or helps them win the Premier League – neither of which are certainties.

So now the clubs will have to work out how Liverpool will pay the figure that both clubs have settled on as the players valuation. It often doesn’t jeapordise the deal itself, however until the transfer is completely sealed the opportunity remains for other potential suitors such as Tottenham or Chelsea to try and hijack the transfer.